Nicky Dörfel has a lucrative job: Dutchman dives for golf balls

Tiger Woods prepares for his winning shot on the final hole of a golf tournament. The fans in the stands hold their breath. Woods hits the golf ball. But instead of hitting the mark, Tiger Woods hits the ball into the water. But no worries, because Nicky Dörfel dives after the ball! Who is this Dutchman who has made retrieving golf balls his profession?

Nicky Dörfel retrieves golf balls for a living

During golf tournaments, he is the man who wades through ponds and water features to find lost golf balls. He puts the oxygen tanks on his back, puts on the diving mask and enters the water, like a treasure hunter searching for sunken gold. However, Nicky isn't looking for gold; he searches for lost golf balls and often finds hundreds per course.

When he's not diving for balls from the golf course, Dörfel is busy with Golf-Square, his own company that sells golf-related items, including used golf balls. The company, which he founded, claims to offer more than three hundred types of used golf balls of varying quality.

Where does Nicky Dörfel's passion come from?

Dörfel says that collecting golf balls from lakes and ponds combines two of his greatest passions, golf and diving. He says: "I grew up near a golf course, so from the age of 12 I was always there and played every chance I got. When I was 18, I first became interested in diving".

The man has used his skills for the DP World Tour, a golf tournament in Dubai. The golf balls he collected during the Soudal Open and the Porsche European Open have been added to the DP World Golf Ball Container. In addition to the golf balls collected by Dörfel, used and unwanted golf balls will also be donated to the container by spectators, golfers and others. The balls will then be distributed to golf clubs and organizations that help get golf off the ground and increase its popularity.